Page 7

Chapter 7

Ford

I can’t see a fucking thing even with a small flashlight, but Roscoe stays just in front of me, leading me towards the noise of the engine.

The door of the cabin has barely shut when I hear a loud crashing sound, and the rpm of the motor shoots up.

What the hell was that?

Snugging up my coat with my free hand, I keep my pistol drawn ahead of me. Who knows what kind of sneak attack attempt this could be.

Well shit, there’s part of a ski. Past that is a chunk of the cowling.

Did they crash?

When I find it, the snow machine is a mangled mess, the front end ripped apart in pieces.

Holy fuck, whoever it was, hit hard.

I manage to find the key and kill the high pitched scream.

Silence crashes over me, the thick snowfall suffocating every sound.

Roscoe whines, circling a depression in the deepening powder.

Is that the rider?

My gun at the ready, I move forward slowly until I can see the reflection of a helmet getting buried with the heavy flakes.

“Hey! Who are you?” I wait for any sign of movement or reply, but nothing happens.

Are they hurt? Should I care?

Maybe I should just put a bullet in them and walk away? Anyone who intentionally pushes cows to their death deserves an early grave.

“Hey!” I’ll try again.

They’re still.

Well, fuck.

I tap on the visor with my barrel, then raise it, shining my weak light in.

Big brown eyes flick open, then roll back and close.

Is one bruised? Is that from the crash?

“Who are you?” I ask again.

The tiny, feminine voice surprises me. “Help me.”

I certainly didn’t expect a woman.

Am I being tricked? A trap, maybe?

I guess the biggest question is, am I going to leave her out here to die?

Because it’s cold as shit, and my own fingers are going numb.

God damn it.

“Are you hurt?” I’m torn on what to do.

No answer.

“Wake up. How am I supposed to help you?” I toe her shoulder with my boot, but there’s no reaction.

She lolls in the snow like a ragdoll.

Roscoe paces a trench on the other side of her, then drops his haunches and does his little cry-whine like he wants something.

“What do I do, boy?” Fine. I’ll try.

Grabbing the front of her snowsuit, I drag her up to a sitting position.

This outfit is about twenty times too big for her.

Sneakers? No gloves?

Her hands are almost blue icicles.

Son of a bitch. She’s practically frozen through.

Shaking her lightly doesn’t get a response.

I gotta get back to the cabin before I freeze too.

She might be armed.

I do a fast pat down, but don’t feel anything through the thick layer of the outer layer.

After stuffing my pistol into my waistband, I fling her over my shoulder. It’d be too hard to walk with her in my arms through the deepening drifts.

The snow is nearly over my knees in some spots, and the wind throwing it against my face doesn’t help.

My feet are nearly numb by the time I get to the cabin and push into the heat of the small room.

I set her on the bed and she flops over onto her side.

“What the fuck do I do now?” I mutter under my breath.

Roscoe tilts his head from his corner.

“You’re helpful.” I shed my heavy coat and hang it on the hook by the stove, then toss a log on to get the fire raging.

Turning back to the mystery woman, I stare down at her for a hard minute.

“I need to take your helmet off. Can you hear me?” I tap her on the arm hard enough it should rouse her.

Carefully, so I don’t yank her head around, I tug it off.

A tangled mess of dirty blond hair spreads across the blanket, and I can clearly see the cuts and bruises on her face.

Jesus, those are old. They aren’t from the wreck.

“What the hell happened to you?” I’m not sure if she’s been the one who’s been pushing the cows, but someone has been beating the shit out of her.

Anger tightens in my chest as a flood of old emotions rush in.

Uselessness ranks near the top.

I know I need to do something. But she won’t wake up.

That’s when I notice the green light on the satellite phone.

Fully charged.

Mason might. Or he can get a hold of Dixon.

“Hello?” Sawyer answers on the second ring.

“Sawyer, I need to get a hold of Dixon. It’s an emergency.” I watch her, but she’s still out cold.

Even her damn lips are blue.

“Oh, yea. He’s here.” Sawyer makes a shuffling sound, and I can hear muffled voices.

“Ford? What’s wrong?” Dixon’s firm tone cuts through the static clearly.

“I found a girl, but she’s about half froze. I don’t know what to do.” I watch her helplessly.

She’s like a pale doll, lying there stiffly.

“You what? Okay. Is she awake? Breathing? Injured?” He rattles off the questions so fast I can barely keep up.

“Slow down, man. I think she wrecked a snow machine, but she looks like she got beat up. She’s out, I can’t wake her up. Her lips are blue.” I think she’s breathing.

I hold my finger under her nose until I feel the tiny breeze.

Whew.

“You need to make sure she’s not bleeding out. Then you need to get her warm, pronto.” The background noise behind him fades.

I think he went to a different part of the house.

Damn, I’m messing up his Thanksgiving.

“She’s in a snowsuit, shouldn’t that work?” I’m hesitant to just start stripping her down. Poor girl looks like she’s already got enough on her plate.

“No, Ford. That suit works both ways for insulation. If her core temp drops and stays down too long, she could die. Open it up. Best thing you can do is run a hot bath.” He sounds like he’s reading off a checklist.

Being an emergency room doctor, I suppose he’s used to staying level under pressure.

He’s a lot better at it than I am. My heart is pounding in my ears.

“Dix, I can’t run a damn bath. Don’t you remember where I am?” I’m in the middle of nowhere in a tiny ass cabin with no running water. I can haul it, but it’d take me hours to haul it in and heat it up.

“Shit. Yea, sorry. Next best option is skin to skin.” He takes a deep breath. “You have to get her warm. Just wrapping her up won’t cut it.”

“I don’t fucking know her,” I hiss into the phone. “How in the hell can I do that?”

What will she think?

“If you don’t, she’s going to die.” He pauses, and his voice softens. “I know this is a huge ask for you. Whatever choice you make, Ford, I know you’ll be making the best one.”

“Can’t you send a chopper? Call Wade. He can send out search and rescue.” I can’t do what he’s asking.

Not without her knowing.

This is so fucked up.

“You know just as well as I do, no one is flying in this storm. It’s set in for the next week.” His words carry a final ring.

I’m stuck between the frying pan and the fire. Either she dies, or she wants to kill me.

“Walk me through this.” I prop the cell against my ear and lift her leg to pull off her Nikes.

Her socks are crusty, like she hasn’t changed them for a week.

“Miss,” I say loudly. “I have to unzip your suit. Now would be a good time to wake up.”

“If I ever meet her, I’ll make sure she knows you asked.” Dixon tries to reassure me.

But fails.

I feel like a creep, touching her without asking.

Sarah didn’t ask the night they touched her. She just begged for them to stop.

They didn’t.

She was still crying out for the pain to end when I got to her.

I feel like I’m going to be sick.

“Ford?” Dix practically shouts in my ear. “Where’d you go?”

“I’m here.” My breathing is too fast, making me light headed.

“Focus,” he grunts. “You can do this.”

I hate this.

Grabbing the oversized zipper below her neck, I pull it down to expose her slight build, and thin, stained t-shirt.

“Is that blood?” The dark red splatters make me stop. It looks old, like the wounds on her face. “Man, someone did a number on her.”

“Fuckers,” Dixon growls. It almost sounds like he’s holding the phone away.

I know he feels almost the same as me. His wife had a similar experience with her ex.

When I tug her arms out of her sleeves, fury boils in me.

“Dix, she has cuff marks on her wrists. What the holy hell is going on?”

“Jesus. Want me to get Wade? He’s here tonight, too.” A door slams in the background and he yells without me answering.

They exchange a few fast words, then I hear the sheriff grab the phone.

“Ford, what in hellfire have you found?” Wade sounds like he still has half a mouthful of food.

“There were two snowmachines chasing cows today. I ran ‘em off. But then tonight, this chick wrecked one here almost at my door. She’s fucked up, man. Looks like someone beat her up, kept her tied up.” I lean her towards me, and roll her off the wet bibs.

And drop the cell when I lie her on her side.

Scrambling, I pick it up.

“Wade…she’s got dried blood on her…her…This is bad. Someone hurt her bad.” My stomach rolls seeing the crusted dark red on the butt of her snug jeans.

This is like Sarah all over.

I squat next to the stove, hugging my knees.

My heart fucking aches and my hands shake.

“I can’t do this. Not again. Please, send someone to help her,” I say hoarsely into the mic.

I don’t even want to touch her.

This is too much.

A knot forms in my throat. I shouldn’t fucking cry. But God damn it, I can’t do this again.

It’s been years and the agony is still too difficult most days for me to handle.

Why do I have to live this again? Why me?

“Ford? Talk to me, buddy.” Wade’s tone is calm. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“Please, come get her.” The words choke me as they escape.

“Ford.” Dixon cuts in. “Get up there and do this. I know you can. You couldn’t save Sarah, save this girl. She needs you to be there for her.” His tone is commanding.

He’s right.

Damn it all.

“Miss Frosty, I’m gonna do something we’re both gonna hate.” I stand up and tug my shirt off over my head. “I hope you’re ripe pissed at me in the morning, I’ll give you every chance to be.” I unzip my own jeans and adjust my boxers, then kick off my boots.

I grab the button on the front of her pants, and peer hard into her slack face. “I gotta take these off. For the love of all things holy, wake the fuck up right now. Please?”

Not even an eyelid stirs.

“I promise I won’t charge you,” Wade chuckles.

“Shut up, Wade,” I snap, and end the call. His dark humor is not welcome at the moment.

Peeling her ruined Levi’s off, the pink panties beneath them are soaked through in dried blood as well.

It makes me want to burn the world down, and take me with it.

She feels as if she’s made of ice when I climb into the bed next to her.

I manage to loosen the blanket from beneath her, and throw it over top of both of us.

Hugging her frigid body next to mine feels like cuddling a snow bank.

My nuts shrink up into my belly as the cold of her skin takes my breath.

I might freeze to death holding her.

It physically hurts to touch her, but I press my knees behind hers and tighten her back against my chest.

If I hold her tight enough, maybe she can share some of this pain.

“Tell me who hurt you. I’ll ruin them for what they did,” I whisper against her matted hair.

How long did they keep her? I need to find them, and make them pay for this.

She braved a blizzard to get to me.

The least I can do is keep her alive long enough to have her point me in their direction.

“I’m sorry for what they did. You’re safe with me.” My muscles try to shiver as they soak in the cold, but I grit my teeth and force myself still.

Closing my eyes, I curl around her, willing her to keep breathing.

All I can see behind my lids is Sarah.

Broken, bleeding, and shuddering through her last breath in my arms.